Steps
by JuliTina
Summary: Sokka realises there are steps to forgiveness. SokkaZuko. Spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

_We probably get along better than we should,_

Sokka mused, eyes darting to Zuko next to him. They were gutting and scaling the fishes that Sokka had caught for dinner, and Sokka was slowly teaching the prince how to use the side of the knife to scale the fins, and how to make slits so sticks could be slotted in to cook. It surprised him to see Zuko watching him so patiently, quietly learning and gutting the fish without complaint. In fact, Zuko tended to surprise him a lot, and the more time Sokka spent with the firebender, the more he was forced to re-evaluate his assumptions.

Sokka also ignored his sister. Katara was currently glaring at them, and he could hear the sound of grinding molars as she turned back to Aang and waterbending, placing herself firmly between Zuko and the Avatar. Honestly. He knew Katara had problems, but even _Sokka_ knew when to give up and quit. (Then again, Katara had loved that necklace more than _anything_ and she had a _very_ good memory.)

The fact was Sokka hadn't spoken to a boy his age for a while now. With Aang and Katara as company, he had been the responsible one, the practical one. Now, with Zuko almost a year older than him, he felt the pressure relieved; even though he knew he couldn't trust him.

"So…" Sokka began, and Zuko raised an eyebrow. "What did my sister say to you after I left?"

He watched Zuko's gaze flicker in Aang's direction, and was taken aback as Zuko smiled ruefully.

"…Your sister is one scary girl." He said, and Sokka tried to hide his burst of strangled laughter. Katara's sharp gaze fell on the two again, and as she looked away, Zuko continued again. "I mean, I thought I was the only brother unlucky enough to have _Azula_ as a sister…"

And Sokka watched as Zuko trailed off there, his eyes looking lost and lonely again. It was hard not to feel sorry for the prince, and Sokka turned back to his fish scaling, not wanting to intrude on the private moment. That was another thing he noticed about Zuko – the guy showed emotion way too easily. Whether it was rage, anger or anything else, Zuko was thoroughly incapable of hiding his emotions. (Zuko might think otherwise, but really, who was he trying to kid?)

They threaded the sticks into the fishes, and stuck them next to the fire, waiting for the meat to cook.

Watching the crackling flames, the lost look on Zuko's face suddenly disappeared and the self-deprecating expression returned, a look of one thoroughly repentant and full of regret. It only just hit Sokka.

"Zuko," he blurted out, "Where is your uncle?"

Zuko just looked back at him, expression shuttered.

"Gone." He replied, looking utterly dejected.

And that was when Sokka realised something.

He could finally start to forgive.

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

_Sokka…is surprisingly good at the sword._ Zuko thought, watching the boy practice. He didn't know why he was so surprised, but as he watched Sokka transfer his steps from stance to stance, he recognised a calmness, a steadiness that hadn't been there before.

…Before, when he had been trying to capture the Avatar, before he was where he was now. There was a coldness to Sokka's form that Zuko envied – it had been difficult for Zuko to separate his emotions from his swordplay, and it had been something that Iroh had chastised him for. (The very thought of his uncle brought an immediate twist to his gut that made him flinch. He tried to ignore it.) And although he didn't really care to admit it, he was slightly glad that he didn't have to face _this_ Sokka, someone that wouldn't be beaten by mere foot soldiers and simple tricks anymore. Distantly, he heard water trickling as Katara and Aang splashed in the river, and Zuko snorted. Aang was a much better firebender than he was waterbender – he didn't need to waste time on that rubbish.

Zuko paused. Or maybe not; Avatar and all.

But Sokka caught his attention again and he continued to watch as Sokka trudged back with his sword, flopping down next to Zuko with a contented sigh, bringing back a faint aroma of warmth and sweat. Zuko wrinkled his nose.

Sokka looked sideways at him, and his mouth twisted into a lopsided smirk.

"What, am I too stinky for your highness?"

Zuko tried to ignore the sardonic tone, but he could feel his irritation building. And to think he had been mentally complimenting the idiot on his form as well…

"You stink all the time, but do you hear me complaining?" Zuko quipped, matching Sokka's tone.

"Just looking at you is enough, thanks." Sokka didn't even miss a beat. Although Zuko was still somewhat of a stranger in their midst, things had relaxed a bit since Zuko and Aang had returned from the fire temple. Conversations were no longer as awkward, and Sokka found he enjoyed riling the fire prince – starting fires (pardon the pun) were a speciality of his. Sokka yawned, arms stretching above his head, and smirked inwardly as Zuko tilted his head sideways with a jerk to avoid his arms.

"You know," Sokka said, lying down with a satisfied huff, "My master would kill me. He'd say I've gotten lazy."

Zuko swallowed. Those sword forms he had seen Sokka perform were _not_ lazy in any shape or form.

"Pian Dao says–"

"–You were trained by Pian Dao?" Zuko exclaimed; interrupting whatever Sokka had been about to say. Sokka just scowled, and muttered,

"There's no need to sound so surprised."

Zuko hastily back pedalled, and tried to address his sentence with more tact. That had gotten him into trouble in the Fire Nation; he guessed it wasn't much different here.

"What I mean is…Pian Dao is the only swordsmaster who has refused to teach Azula and _lived_."

"He refused the royal family?" Sokka's eyes were wide with surprise. "I mean, I know he was good, but…"

"Yeah, he used to train with Uncle Iroh a lot." Zuko almost halted, but he forced himself to carry on. "They played paishou together."

"Wow. That's pretty cool." There was no trace of sarcasm in Sokka's tone, and Zuko closed his eyes, settling back to lie down next to him.

"Yeah."

tbc


End file.
